01
The hiker
The backpacked figure stands at the right edge of the overlook.
Shenandoah
National Park
A person pauses. A landscape opens.
A day hiker looks out from Little Stony Man summit. The near rock and receding ridges place a human observer within a much larger mountain landscape.
Read the reverse ⟶DenominationQuarter dollar
Weight5 troy ounces
Fineness99.9% silver
Diameter76.2 mm
Mint markNone · bullion
IssuerUnited States Mint
Reverse design anatomy
The overlook
and the observer
The Mint identifies a day hiker at Little Stony Man. A backpacked figure, angular ledges and distant ridges establish the viewpoint. The person is not identified as a named explorer or a historical founder.
The following close reading describes visible forms. It does not assign undocumented intentions to the artists.
02
The ledge
Fractured rock fills the immediate foreground.
03
The distant ridges
Smooth bands recede beyond the textured near ground.
The place behind the coin
A view with
a lived past
Park authorization in 1926, formal establishment in 1935 and dedication in 1936 are separate events. The coin’s 2014 date belongs to the issue, not the making of the landscape.
NPS documents land acquisition and the departure of mountain residents during park creation. The present-day hiker’s view should not be read as evidence that these mountains were always uninhabited.
- 1926Park authorized
- 1935Park established
- 2014Coin issued
Historical context, not a reconstruction. No unverified event photograph is used.
Same design. A larger canvas.
From pocket change
to a statement in silver
The 2014 design also belongs to the circulating quarter. At 76.2 mm, the five-ounce silver coin is 3.14 times wider by diameter—not 3.14 times heavier.
The quarter is a measured outline: an exact authorized quarter photograph is not bound for this page. It is not a miniature bullion image.
Collect with context
Know the design.
Know the object.
Reverse designer and sculptor Phebe Hemphill
- Standard bullion
- No mint mark · Authorized Purchasers · incuse edge weight and fineness.
- Collector five-ounce
- P mint mark · special finish · a separate object. Collector totals are not bullion mintages.